Y-Project

A few weeks ago we were lured down to the central London offices of
PR agency Bastion to view a mysterious new Unreal-engined action
adventure game developed by Germany's Westka Interactive. While we
were somewhat disappointed by their last effort, Arcatera, we're
happy to report that their latest game, known only as "The
Y-Project", is shaping up to be something special...

Bug Powder Dust

Just a few of the nasty creatures you'll be facing. Did I ever tell you how much I hate insects?

The Y-Project is set two hundred years in the future on an alien
planet which has been colonized by human settlers. Unfortunately
they are not alone. Attacks by giant insects forced the colonists
to retreat within a glass-domed city, but as the game begins that
dome has shattered and the insects are once again threatening to
destroy the settlement. Naturally it's up to you to discover what
lies behind these attacks and put a stop to them.
The game itself is a story-led first person shooter with some
lightweight role-playing elements, allowing you to chat with other
survivors of the attack and to customize your own character by
choosing from a range of equipment and weapon upgrade modules which
become available as you progress through the missions. What really
seperates it from other similar shooters though is that two rival
factions have developed amongst the survivors and are trying to win
over your character. Both sides ultimately want the same thing - to
fight off the insects and restore the colony - but the ways in
which they go about it differ. As a highly qualified agent you will
find them constantly trying to recruit you to further their own
agenda and give them greater influence in the town council once the
current threat is over.
While you will follow the same basic storyline whichever side you
choose, the missions you are given will vary. The game is split
into five chapters, and each has a main mission provided by
whichever faction you are serving. The militaristic faction is more
gung-ho, relying on big guns and rapid attacks, with very
action-oriented objectives. The scientific faction, on the other
hand, prefers a stealthy approach, with more puzzle solving and
clinical strikes with sophisticated weaponry.

Two Sides To Every Story

The leader of the scientific faction

Each chapter sports a selection of smaller subquests as well, and
these don't always have to be completed in a preset order. Westka
are aiming to have mission objectives which intertwine, so that
completing one may help you with another, while still allowing you
the freedom to choose which to complete and when. For example, you
may be tasked with finding a secret door and killing a group of
monsters. If you choose to kill the monsters first you may find a
map which will help you to find the hidden room, while doing things
the other way round may reward you with a weapons upgrade to help
you dispatch the monsters.
There's also more than one solution to every problem, depending on
your faction and the equipment you have at your disposal. The
example we were given involved a survivor sitting precariously on
top of a statue in the town museum, surrounded by hungry monsters.
If you are playing a military-focused character you might charge
in, guns blazing, slaughter the monsters and rescue the damsel in
distress. A more scientific character may find their way through
the ventilation shafts to a balcony from which they can pick off
the insects in safety. And if you're feeling really selfish you
could just ignore the poor civilian entirely and leave her there to
fend for herself.
To make things more interesting, there could be a fire in the
ventilation shafts blocking your path. The game does include a fire
extinguisher, but it's only available from the scientific faction.
At this point a military character would be stuck. Unless of course
a nearby scientist offered him the fire extinguisher he needed in
exchange for his support.

Weapon Of Choice

Just one of the many weapons on offer in the game

At various points like this in the game you will have the option to
switch sides, giving you access to the other faction's technical
expertise and gadgets. Military characters will gain access to
upgrades such as damage enhancers and systems to increase the
firing rate of their weapons, while those choosing the path of
science may get gizmos like motion trackers and optical equipment
to help you fire around corners.
Each side has its own source of energy though, and the longer you
spend with one faction the more of their energy you will gain,
helping to power more advanced gadgets and weapon upgrades you will
discover later in the game. This means that sticking to one side
will give you a more powerful character in the long run, but
constantly switching between the two will give you a more varied
selection of equipment and weapons to use in the short term as
everyone tries to bribe you to join forces with them.
You must also decide which weapons you want. There are five neutral
weapons which can be found by exploring the levels, while each of
the factions also has its own selection of five specialist guns. If
you take one weapon from the scientists, the equivalent military
gun is no longer available to you, so although the game features
fifteen weapons you can only ever get ten in a single game. If
Westka can properly balance this it should prove to be an
interesting trade-off, as depending on the path you take through
the game you could end up with a completely different set of
weapons, tools and upgrades by the time you're finished.

Hey Good Looking

The Y-Project, under construction

Of course, the one thing we haven't mentioned so far are the
graphics. The Y-Project is based on the latest version of the
Unreal engine, so it almost goes without saying that it's drop dead
gorgeous. Both the levels and the character models are highly
detailed, beautifully textured and dynamically lit, while the game
also sports an advanced particle system which makes for impressive
looking fires, sparks, smoke and foaming water.
All of this isn't just pure eye candy for the sake of it either. As
the particles are all tracked by the engine and effected by its
physics system, they can be moved around by passing objects. This
means that if you fire a rocket through a smoke-filled room you
will see the particles being blown around by it. It also means that
if an invisible monster runs through that room you will be able to
see where it is by watching the smoke swirling as the creature
moves through it.
The game's visual style is also very eye-catching, from the bizarre
almost Tim Burtonesque insects to the futuristic costumes of the
characters, which were apparently inspired by the work of Jean Paul
Gaultier. When it comes to architecture the game sports a variety
of big chunky looking buildings with plenty of exposed pipework,
steaming grates, metal walkways and giant fans, giving it all a bit
of an Aliens atmosphere. And to ensure that the world looks and
feels real, Westka have employed architects to lay down designs for
the human colony, from the dank underworld of waste incinerators
and power plants to the shining Fifth Element inspired upper levels
filled with shops, museums and government offices.

Conclusion

Although the Y-Project has only just entered full production at
Westka after a year of pre-production design work, it's already
looking very promising. The graphics are impressive, the artwork
stylish, the settings nicely detailed and the gameplay innovative
enough to make it stand out from the first person shooter crowd.
With a 2003 release currently on the cards, expect to hear a lot
more about this game in the coming months.